[pt17]

Neither the Navy brass nor Congress could ever come to grips with doing anything that doesn't cost billions of dollars and take 15 years to complete.

Probably. In both governmental and private sector bureaucracies, people are directly and/or indirectly incented towards large organizations with big budgets. Salaries, status, perks, corner offices, etc. go to those with the largest staff and budget. In the private sector, a lot of companies have used the Hay Group's formulas for establishing compensation. These and similar formulas can have the effect of incenting people towards large organizations and budgets, whether they're needed or not.

[spetznaz]

Another alternative to the 'americanized' Flankers and SuperFlankers, or even possibly the Su-37 Terminator; is for us to jointly develop with Russia the S-37 Berkerut (not to be confused with the su-37) or maybe the Mig 1.42.

Both of these are Russian aircraft that are super-manouvrable, stealthy, and already have prototypes. The onyl thing needed is sufficient cash for mass production.

Then they can be used as either a stop gap until the time when the Raptors and JSFs come into full strength, or maybe even become permanently integrated (some designers say the mig 1.42 will be stealthier than the F-22). Thus in the same way the British and the US share the Harrier, and recently the apache and the future JSF, maybe the US and Russia could have a monopoly on the Berkurut and the mig 1.42.

Here are the pictures:

First up the S-37:

Then the Mig 1.42 (Mig-35)

[The Other Harry]

Probably. In both governmental and private sector bureaucracies, people are directly and/or indirectly incented towards large organizations with big budgets. Salaries, status, perks, corner offices, etc. go to those with the largest staff and budget. In the private sector, a lot of companies have used the Hay Group's formulas for establishing compensation. These and similar formulas can have the effect of incenting people towards large organizations and budgets, whether they're needed or not.

I've been reading Jack Welch's autobiography. For some reason, this thread seems to tie in there somehow.

He was certainly focused on future growth rather than on current size.

My guess is that he would have let you buy those SU's and given you the money to fool around with them, providing he believed the outcome would be something that would have the potential to dominate the market.

I'm really not sure how this ties in. It's just one of those loose thoughts.